Competent organization of the floor in the washing section of the bath is the key to its long-term and uninterrupted operation. Read everything about the types of floors, their installation and the most common mistakes in our article. Content:
- Features of the floor in the sink
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Installation of a concrete floor
- Traditional screed
- Warm floor
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Installation of a wooden floor
- Types of wood floor
- Non-spill floor
- Pouring floor
- Protecting the floor from water
- Arrangement errors
Washing (washing, washing) - the main room in any Russian bath. This is where visitors spend most of their time between short runs to the steam room. In the washing room, water is constantly poured in a significant amount, which means that it must be equipped with the highest quality. The maximum attention should be paid to the floors. Throughout the year, they are exposed to aggressive moisture and strong temperature changes. Depending on the choice of the type of floor and the quality of its installation, the washing room will be either warm and comfortable, or cold and uncomfortable.
Features of the floor in the washing bath
Any detail in the arrangement of the washing room should be carefully considered. There is a list of features typical for this particular zone in the bath. Here, the floor is given the utmost attention, since excessive moisture constantly exposes it to rapid destruction. In addition to moisture, sharp global temperature drops constantly affect the floor in the washing room.
In this regard, the floors must fully comply with all the requirements put forward for them:
- Dry quickly;
- Resist sharp thermal surges;
- Easy to pass air;
- Have the permissible coating temperature;
- Do not create drafts;
- Have adequate ventilation.
Of course, the installation of a floor in a washing bath is a serious and important process. But before proceeding with it directly, it is necessary to consider all types of floors suitable for a bath, and choose the most optimal among them. Most often, for a wooden building, a floor is made of wood, clay or concrete. Thanks to each of these options, the bath gets some special features. Wood is an excellent material in terms of comfort and thermal insulation. The concrete floor is renowned for its practicality and durability. Clay floor is an outdated and not quite high-quality option, but nevertheless, it is still found.
Installation of a concrete floor in a washing bath
Often, the floors in the bathhouse are equipped with a concrete screed, since the installation of such a floor is considered the fastest and most problem-free. The only difficulty in this matter is the organization of the drain. In a washing bath, a concrete floor can be arranged in three common ways: with a screed along the ground, along a wooden floor, along a concrete floor. Any of these methods takes place, but at the same time it has some more or less significant drawbacks.
Traditional floor screed in the washroom
Traditionally, the concrete floor in the washing room of the bath is arranged like this:
- First of all, it is necessary to thoroughly compact the soil.
- Then add a layer of gravel, 15 cm thick. Instead, you can use broken brick or rubble. Thus, a ready-made base is obtained for the first layer of the screed.
- Pour the first layer of concrete. Remember that, unlike wood floors, in concrete, the angle of inclination is formed already at the initial stages.
- In rooms with a small area, the screed is poured in one step. If the area is large-scale, wooden guides are laid on the floor, and then filled with the resulting stripes. In any case, the concrete floor can be called the most durable, durable and practical option.
- The most important stage in the installation of a concrete floor is the creation of an insulation layer. The insulating pillow is extremely necessary, because it protects the floor from freezing in the cold season and, accordingly, saves heating resources. Therefore, after the first layer of the screed has completely solidified, the floor is covered with a layer of expanded clay no thinner than 7 cm.
- Metal reinforcement is laid on top - a reinforcing mesh to enhance rigidity and strength.
- After that, lay the next layer of screed and carefully align it with the rule.
- A well-leveled screed works well as a topcoat. If you want to make the floor more aesthetically pleasing, you can cover it with beautiful non-slip tiles.
Warm floor in the washing compartment of the bath
Despite a decent layer of insulation, a concrete floor will never be pleasant enough to the touch. The cold concrete surface in the winter season often annoys the owners of the bath. In order to eliminate this drawback, a "warm floor" system is used. Typically, electric, hot water or infrared heating is placed under the finishing layer.
For the washing area, the device of a warm water floor system, powered by a heater for the general supply of water in the bath room, is optimal. Installation of a water floor is not much different from laying an electric one. The only difference is the thickness, commensurate with the height of the pipes being laid.
Recently, continuous filling of floors with a 3D image has been increasingly used, which is ideal for washing baths.
Floor over a concrete slab is the least common since it involves the use of concrete slabs. This option is not very popular in the construction of small buildings.
Installation of a wooden floor in a washing bath
The wood floor in the washing bath is being equipped with their own hands more and more often due to its many advantages, such as ease of installation, attractive appearance, aesthetics and a special unique smell given off by wood when heated.
Types of wood floors for the washing room
There are two popular types of wood floors:
- Non-leaking … Constructions of densely laid boards with a certain angle of inclination, which facilitates the flow of water into a special hole.
- Leaking … A covering consisting of boards laid with gaps for water drainage.
The warmest floor in the washing bath is a leaking wooden floor. Unlike a flowing one, it allows the possibility of laying a heat-insulating layer under it. Any insulation (expanded clay, polystyrene, sand, etc.) can be used if it is protected by waterproofing. True, when installing a non-leaking floor, you will have to devote more time to ensuring the slope and drain.
Note! The wooden floor in the washing bath must be laid at an angle so that the water can drain naturally. Ideally, the slope should be on two sides from the center.
Wooden non-spill floor for a washing bath
This design is not removable, therefore, before starting the installation of the wooden floor in the washing compartment, it is necessary to organize a ventilation system. The base under the wooden non-spill floor must be installed with a slight slope for natural drainage of water. It is also necessary to equip a receiver for water and a ditch for its discharge into the sewer.
The installation of a wooden non-leaking drain is carried out in several stages:
- Lags are mounted on the top of the foundation.
- Waterproofing is laid on top, carefully sealed with sealant.
- Layers of insulation are tightly laid between the lags.
- Waterproofing and a vapor barrier film are re-laid on the insulating layer.
- The next layer is to prepare the subfloor with a slope for the drain in the desired direction.
- The finished sub-floor is covered with a continuous layer of polyethylene. The result is a structure that outwardly resembles a huge container with a ladder for leaving water.
- At the end, the top layer of a wooden non-pouring floor is mounted.
Wooden pouring floor in the washing compartment of the bath
Regardless of the type of foundation (strip, pile, columnar, etc.), a pouring wooden floor can be installed by hand. This design is completely simple and does not require special construction and repair skills. At the beginning, a concrete base is created, on which logs are attached to hold the plank rough floor. Planks are laid with a distance of 6-8 mm for unhindered water flow into the receiver. From the intake to the underground, all the water goes down the pipe to the sewer.
In most cases, spilled floors are removable. At the end of the procedures, the structure is removed and taken out for drying. And since this type of floor is completely impossible to insulate, it is used only for those baths that are used exclusively in the warm season.
One more significant drawback of such floors can be distinguished: the upper flooring quickly loses its operational properties, since the protection from moisture does not apply to it. Thus, the wooden floor has to be replaced hour after hour. It is equally important to avoid drafts through the pouring floor. For this, the underground and drainage must be organized in the correct way.
The arrangement of pouring-type wooden floors is carried out as follows:
- First, the type of soil under the washing compartment is determined. If the ground is loose, they dig a hole no deeper than 0.5 m.
- The bottom and edges of the pit are tamped tightly and covered with a mixture of fine gravel, sand and gravel. The layer thickness should exceed 2-3 cm. Thus, a filter for waste water is organized.
- For clay and swampy soil, a hydraulic structure of a drainage system is created: they dig it out under a washing pit, from which a pipe for water drainage is laid in the direction of the sewer under a slope.
- The next step is to install the logs, on which the wooden board structure is attached.
Such a device during operation is periodically cleaned and treated with an antiseptic to eliminate clogging and musty odor. For the same purpose, a siphon sewer device is installed.
Protection of the floor in the washing bath from water and moisture
A bath is a zone for which moisture, steam and dampness are quite natural things. Therefore, waterproofing in such a room is very necessary and important. Thermal insulation materials are laid only on a waterproofing layer. In this case, they will be able to serve for a longer period.
In addition, a special antiseptic treatment with various means of protection is required. Otherwise, the floors will forever make friends with fungal infections, especially if they are mounted from wood. Any underground space, partitions, boards, logs must certainly be treated with a reliable antiseptic and moisture-repellent composition, which are easy to find in any building materials store. Ideally, the processing procedure should be carried out at least 2-3 times after a few hours.
If, for certain reasons, at the stage of construction and arrangement of the bath, the treatment and installation of waterproofing was not carried out, you can take a number of actions that will help prevent disastrous damage caused by dampness and moisture:
- Any wooden components of the floors must be carefully dismantled and left in the sun until completely dry.
- Then all places that have undergone decay should be cut off, and nearby ones should be cleaned.
- After that, you need to treat all elements with antiseptic agents and dry them again.
- Finally, wax or water repellent on each board and set them in place.
Errors in the arrangement of the floor for the washing compartment in the bath
When equipping the floor in the washing section of the bath, you must not overlook flaws or oversights. Subsequently, they will lead to the need for dismantling and rework. If the recommendations are not followed, novice masters risk making a number of mistakes.
Some of them are more common than others:
- It is impermissible to save on insulating materials. It is not recommended to install too thin a layer of thermal insulation or replace the vapor barrier membrane with an ordinary polyethylene film.
- We must not forget about the extremely important vapor barrier layer. You can't do without it.
- It is unacceptable to finish the floors with washing smooth tiles. Such material in a company with high humidity may cause unwanted drops.
- It is forbidden to use any plastic components in the installation and finishing of the washroom floors.
- The lack of a ventilation system is a big impermissible mistake that entails negative consequences for the entire room.
How to make a floor for a washing room in a bath - watch the video:
Be that as it may, everyone can make mistakes, especially in such a complex and labor-intensive process. The main thing is to recognize and correct them in time. In this case, the floor in the sink will be reliable, durable, durable and safe.
